'A Star is Born' Again -- with Beyonce and Russell Crowe?

Is there some rule of the universe that once in every generation, a new version of A Star is Born must be filmed? Warner Bros. has been working for some time on yet another remake to accompany the 1937, 1954 and 1976 movies. I feel like "Hello everybody, this is Mrs. Norman Maine" (or John Norman Howard, in 1976) is a line that won't date well, but the story about a couple whose similar careers are on different trajectories could be considered timeless. Apparently the studio is moving on picking a director -- Nick Cassavetes is a possibility -- and a pair of stars.

According to the LA TImes24 Frames blog, the front runner for the lead role this time is Russell Crowe. And the woman who's on the way up as her husband is on the way down may be Beyonce Knowles, who has been interested in an A Star is Born remake for some time. The L.A. Times article seems to assume that the characters will be musicians, as in the 1976 version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, especially with Beyonce on board. If you think Crowe is an odd choice to step into Kristofferson's shoes, remember that the Gladiator actor has also pursued a career as a musician in the past few years. Jeff Bridges' recent success in a similar role in Crazy Heart may also be an incentive both to Crowe and to Warners to get this project moving. Do you think Crowe and Beyonce would have good on-screen chemistry together?